Whoever thought having a succubus for a girlfriend would turn your life upside down? Now Sherman is on his way to meet Satan. Fortunately, he's not quite the bad guy everyone has made him out to be. Less fortunately, The Lord of Evil has a job for Sherman, and let's just say that if our impromptu hero fails, well, he'll have 99 problems but a succubus won't be one.
When last we saw Sherman and Charlotte, at the end of Hell High:Succubus!, they had just escaped A mob out to kill them by taking a portal to Hell. Yes, Hell. Of course, Charlotte being a succubus, this isn't as much of a problem as you'd think. Charlotte leaves Sherman locked in a room as she goes off to set up bringing him to Satan. While he's waiting, he talks to a girl name Joro through the door. Charlotte chases her away when she returns, and they try and find a way to get to Satan's palace without getting killed by all the other demons in hell. Deciding to travel underground, They have a harrowing trip, having to deal with minor bureaucrats, as well as a very angry Joro, who turns out to be much more than expected. The scenes with her are frightening and hilarious, all at the same time.
When they reach Satan's palace, Sherman is kidnapped by a group of Rhakshasi, Indian tiger demons, who turn out to be surprisingly polite hosts, even if they do want to eat Sherman for his power. After he escapes with Charlotte's help, they go and meet Satan. Yes, Satan. The meeting with Satan is absolutely hilarious, with Satan being portrayed much differently than expected. Satan explains that Sherman's abilities make him in demand, and offers him a job. The first job is hilarious, involving a Doppelganger and a duel to the death by video game. Sherman and Charlotte's relationship is explored further, although Charlotte still insists it is professional only. On their return to Satan, Sherman is offered another job to help in Satan's war against his enemies, and he makes a decision that will effect the rest of his life, and has ramifications for the rest of the world as well.
This series is a particular treat due to the characters, which are a real strength of this author. Sherman comes across initially as week and helpless, but he is smart and resourceful, and surprisingly stubborn. He is clueless when it comes to Charlotte, but considering he has basically been ignored his whole life, its surprising he socializes as well as he does. Charlotte, on the other hand, has no problem socializing, being a succubus. however, she is an assassin, so that makes her socialization a little uncomfortable for some of the other characters. Satan is played much differently than i expected, although he can be harsh and evil when need. The other characters are well drawn out as well, and really get the reader into the action.
The setting is well set up, and is not at all what one would expect from hell. It seems much more like the hell in Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim books than the hell from the bible, and is played for laughs in quite a few ways, from Satan's garage to the Rhakshasi's manor. You really get a sense of being there in the scene.
The narration by David Dietz is a real strength. He really nails the various voices. His Satan voice is especially good, and not at all what one expects from Satan. He has good pacing on the narration, and keeps the story flowing smoothly. I think he is perfect for this particular type of story.
All in all, this is a very enjoyable, slightly dark comedy that should appeal to a large group. If you like urban fantasy, gamer culture, or dark comedy, this book has something in it that you can enjoy. I highly recommend it.
Sherman seems to be a little more clued in. He is helpful in some instances . Not fighting directly but is useful when brains can come into play, such as choosing video game for a dual to the death. He is still head over heels in love with Charlotte. She is still a puzzlement to him in that she says that she doesn't care for him but acts very possessive and some of the things she says imply jealousy. I definitely like the book and the two main characters. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
This has been such a fun series. I really enjoyed this one and getting to know Satan and the Hell Realm. We get a little more info on the war going on in Hell, as well as on Earth. Sherman joins the cause, willing or not and his powers are tested. Although a bit longer than the first installment, still short, but fun. Can't wait to read the next installment.
Read books 1 & 2 on Halloween and really enjoying them, I will defiantly be reading the rest of the series, very fun book filled with action and a touch of humor .
2.5 stars, I have to stop reading these short stories. I just never seam to enjoy them as they are always over to fast and they never give me all a full novel does. I do in fact like this author and have enjoyed many books by him so far.
slightly better than Succubus. 3x the page count Some nudity, no sex. cartoon violence. I liked this one better, but some of the tricks MSE used to heighten the tension toward the end of the book were just annoying without adding anything to the story. Over all pretty good.
I enjoyed it much like the first one. It feels like things don’t really improve until towards the end though. Both in terms of character development. Sherman’s still a hopeless romantic, but he does come around to the realization that Charlotte doesn’t like him. As for the Succubus, it’s nice to see that she’s realizing maybe she does like him. She’s one of the few characters who calls him by his correct name, unlike everyone else. Unfortunately, it’s a star crossed-esque situation. I like how she slowly opens up to him later on after his victory.
Now that Satan’s been revealed, it’s funny how Sherman describes his short stature. He’s definitely a smooth, fast talker. Basically a slimy car salesman (with succubi at his feet). Not gonna lie, having all that attention from those demoness’ would be nice.
Speaking of demoness, I wouldn’t mind seeing Paige again. It’s funny how she casually mentioned wanting to eat him until she found out he was marked. Then when he won, she offered herself to him. I’m surprised she didn’t kiss him after his win. Tempting as it sounds, I’m pretty sure Sherman would’ve never been able to leave had he taken her up on her offer.
Going back to Sherman, it’s cool to see him win at something in his domain. That is video games. It was also cool to see him trading barbs with his opponent and not just win, but allow Paige - another succubus to get her revenge after the faceless demon insulted her and the two leads. It felt well-deserved.
So yeah, I’m definitely going to read the third one. If a fourth one ever comes out, I’d read it too. If Earle ever decides to return to this series, please develop Sherman and Charlotte’s relationship. Have the main kids be more genuine and maybe in the former’s case, have him get the girls as well. Also bring back Paige: I could see her playing a bigger role in the 4th installment. This series can go so many ways... That’s all I’m saying.
Bottomline, check it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I'm actually giving this book 4 1/2 stars. Let me first say that this is not a book I would normally read, but I was asked to beta it for the author. I enjoy reading the author's other books, so I agreed to help him out. Sherman is a nerdy high schooler that is caught up in a war that he doesn't quite understand. Charlotte is the succubus that rescued him in the previous book and has pulled him into the Hell dimension. Charlotte informs Sherman that her job is now to deliver Sherman to Satan so that Satan can kill him. So Sherman does what only he can do - he goes along with this idea. After all, he's in love with Charlotte and figures maybe, just maybe, he can strike a deal with Satan. Their only trouble? Is getting to Satan's throne room! This is a very funny book! My favorite scene is the kitchen scene where Sherman is going to be eaten, but first his hostess decides that she needs to feed him! This is a teen/YA book, but older adults will enjoy it, as well. While Sherman is nerdy, Charlotte is a kick-ass female. They balance each other quite nicely. Be forewarned there is one scene that is sexual. There's also a lot of violence, but I don't consider it horror gore. I wouldn't have read it then or recommend it.
This book just kept on getting better at every page, I could not contain myself, and sometimes had to switch to a different book so I didn't make a scene in public.
This book I think has less of the problems that the first one had. There is more plot development but can't help feeling that it was like a sprint instead of a marathon. The story was really fast paced.